YOU CAN'T CHANGE WHERE YOU'RE FROM.

Tom Darby thought he knew his small town of Harper, but a week before the bicentennial celebration, fresh revelations of vile deeds by the town's founder splintered his neighbors into factions. As council president, Tom attempts to quell the tension through a vote to rename the town. He fails. The divisions deepen, and when threats turn to violence, Tom realizes secrets even deeper are at play.

Piper Wells made a mistake. She once envisioned a life beyond the sticks, and beyond her means. As town treasurer, she finds her opportunity, but it backfires. Now she must fix her records and clear her name before she can flee. She goes underground to hide and to sow enough chaos to cover her tracks. But she can't save herself alone. The one person who can help her, who has always helped her, is Tom Darby.

Tom fights rising tensions that are poised to tear his beloved town apart. Piper schemes to bury her fraud and leave her hometown, perhaps forever. Amidst growing turmoil, the community fractures along political lines with little hope for peaceful reconciliation. The truth behind the current violence, the past tragedies, and the nature of the town itself may save them both, but Tom and Piper will need to survive long enough to reach it.